


Death and Chocolate

by Chasyn



Category: Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chocolate, Grim Reapers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:15:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28487409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chasyn/pseuds/Chasyn
Summary: Zachary Mitchell remembered the night he died vividly. Except for him, death wasn't the end. It was just the beginning.
Relationships: Owen Grady/Zach Mitchell
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	Death and Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

> Will add tags later. Phone isn't letting me.

He broke off a piece and popped it in his mouth. It smeared a bit on his fingers and he rubbed them together for a moment and smiled before licking it off. He hardly heard the noise erupting around him as he leaned back in the driver's seat with his legs up on the dash. The kids certainly wouldn't mind being a minute or two late and he would just claim they got caught in traffic. This wasn't their usual route anyways. For all anyone knew, there was morning traffic. There was

morning traffic, always an accident somewhere, clogging roads and detours that always made them late. It was the curse of living in a big, busy city where people were always in a rush. But it kept him in a job.

Well… one of his jobs. His second job, the one that actually paid him, was laughing behind him as spitballs and trash flew through the air. He swore at one point, in the rearview mirror, he saw an apple whip through the air. But the kids stayed mostly in their seats and left him alone. He broke off another piece of the dark chocolate and set it delicately on his tongue. He closed his eyes and for a moment, he just relished in the dark, almost bitter taste and the way it affected him.

"Zach…" A voice was whispered into his ear.

He sighed, the chocolate spell broken, and opened his eyes. He leaned back more and tilted his head just enough to see the mop of light brown hair peeking up over the front seat. "What, Gray?"

The preteen kid leaned closer, his eyes gazing out the windshield. "Which one is it?" He asked, his voice still barely a whisper.

Zach turned and sat up a bit, pulling his legs off the dash. He leaned forward as well and squinted as his eyes scanned the mostly empty park across the street. He'd parked in the bank lot, giving him a clear and wide view of the small dog walking park. He wasn't exactly sure. But he was never sure until he met them. "Not sure. Stay here."

Gray nodded. "Okay."

Zach leaned over and grabbed the door handle. He pulled it towards him and the door swung open. He stood up, wrapped the chocolate back in it's wrapper, and dropped it in his seat. He hopped down the steps and sprinted across the road. He shoved his hands in his pockets and hunched down inwardly a bit, trying to be inconspicuous. He pulled out his phone and hit the Post-It app.

He was a half hour early but he knew he wouldn't be able to make it back in time unless he got the kids to school really late. A little late was fine, but really late and people would start to notice. But if he could just find this E. Degler he was there for, then he could get the process started. A name, a place, and a time. That's the minimum he had to go on. Sometimes he got flashes when he read the assignment. He never knew what the person looked like but sometimes he could see through their eyes, see what they saw, feel what they felt, smell what they smelled right before. Sometimes it was just a brief second and sometimes it lasted several minutes. Sometimes it was just a vague feeling and sometimes he felt like he was really them, experiencing everything and those times it sucked.

Today he saw a dog. An average looking German shepherd. There was nothing distinguishing about the dog. It had looked like all other German shepherds he'd ever seen before. But at that early morning time in that dog park, there was only one German shepherd. She was walking in front of an older woman, Zach would have guessed maybe 60. He quickly silenced his phone and shoved it back in his pocket. Then he took off, running through the park and moving towards the woman and dog.

"Bailey!" He cupped his hands around his mouth and called the random name as he ran down the path. He stopped and leaned over, pretending to catch his breath. He shook himself and then snapped back up, throwing his hands around dramatically. "Bailey!" He called again.

The older woman was within hearing distance. She stopped, pulling gently on the German shepherd's leash. The dog stopped and swiveled towards the stranger. "Lose someone?" She called out.

Zach nodded his head and breathed out again. He stepped closer. "My dog." He breathed out. "Bailey. He jumped out of the car as soon as I opened the door. I didn't even get his leash on and it's all my fault!" He turned, looking around in panic. "Bailey!" He called out.

"Aw!" The woman's face dropped in concern. "What kind of dog? Do you have a picture?"

"Golden retriever." He answered quickly. "About the size of yours." He said, glancing down at the dog. "No pictures, I left my phone charging in the car. But he's yellow and he has a green collar."

"We haven't seen any retrievers out this morning, have we Rexy?" The woman asked, looking down at her dog. The dog tilted her head and snorted. "But we'll keep an eye out."

Zach smiled. "Thanks! He's real nice. Never bit anyone." He held out his hand. "I'm Mark Williams."

She blinked for a moment. "Mark. That was my husband's name." She said softly and then smiled. "Nice to meet you, Mark. I'm Ellie. Ellie Degler." She added and reached out to take his hand.

Zach held her hand firmly in his for a moment. With his other arm, he gently clasped her forearm and concentrated. It took only a moment before he released her, pulling his hand away and letting his fingertips graze her delicately. He felt the pull and smiled at her.

She blinked at him and shook herself. Then she smiled and nodded. "I hope you find your little boy."

Zach shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, nodding. "I'm sure I will. He's always running off but always comes home."

She tilted her head and her expression turned stern. "You really should put a lease on him

you open the door, you know."

Zach nodded again quickly and took a step back. "I'll try to remember that. Thank you, Miss Degler."

Ellie nodded her head and tugged on the leash. "Come on, Rexy."

Zach watched for a moment longer as the woman and dog started down the path again. He sighed as he took a step back. Then he shook his head and turned. He headed back across the park at a jog, calling out for the non-existent Bailey for good measure as he went. He quickly crossed the road and walked up the steps onto the school bus. It was just as he left it. The kids barely seemed to notice that their driver had left them alone for a few minutes. He smiled as bent down to grab the chocolate he'd left on the seat. He opened it and broke off a small piece as he sunk down in his seat. He put it in his mouth and pulled the door closed. He started the bus back up.

"So…" Gray leaned over the seat closer to him. "Who is it?"

Zach put the bus in reverse and started out of the parking lot. "Some nice old lady, out walking her dog."

"When?" Gray asked softly.

"After I drop you lot off." Zach answered. "There's not enough time for me to get back. I'll be a few minutes late."

"How's it gonna happen?"

The kid was persistent and Zach rolled his eyes as he turned the large wheel, putting them back on the road and back on the way to the school. It was equally the thing he loved and hated most about his little brother. "I don't know." Zach answered as he leaned back in the seat. "All I got was the dog. Now get back in your seat."

Gray nodded his head and sat down, leaning back.

"Chocolate?" Zach asked, holding the bar up.

Gray wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "No. The stuff you eat is gross."

Zach just laughed.

The rest of the drive to the school was quiet, as Zach had a habit of tuning the kids out. As long as they stayed in their seats, that all that mattered. He pulled into the school parking lot and grabbed the radio. A quick call to dispatch alerted the school that they'd gotten stuck in traffic and were a few minutes late. The kids would be excused from any resulting tardies. Then he opened the doors and ushered the kids off.

Soon just Gray was left. He'd hidden, crouching down in the seat, until all the other kids were off and Zach had closed the door. Then he popped back up. "Can I come with you?"

Zach shook his head and reached for the door handle.

"I can miss

class, Zach." Gray insisted. "I won't fall behind. I'm smarter than all the other kids anyways."

Zach rolled his eyes and reached back to ruffle the younger kid's hair. "Humble, too." Gray giggled and ducked and Zach shook his head. "What about last week? You cut the last two periods to come with me."

Gray shrugged. "This time it'll only be one!"

Zach sighed and rolled his eyes again. But when he turned, he didn't reach for the door handle. Instead he started the bus and they pulled away from the school. They arrived back at the park and Zach checked the time. "8:15." He sighed. He was 20 minutes late. He parked the bus on the side of the road, right in front of the park. The actual parking lot was full. He could see the swirling lights of the cop cars and ambulances. He stood up and glanced at Gray. "Stay here." He said, wagging a finger at his younger brother.

Gray nodded his head. "Promise!" He bounced into another seat and pressed his face to the window.

Zach rolled his eyes as he opened the door and stepped off the bus. There was a bench not too far away, tucked under a crop of trees. A few feet from the bench, the German shepherd Zach had met earlier was laying, her head on her paws and looking dejected. Zach smiled sadly as he walked past her and approached the bench.

Sitting on the edge of the old bench was Ellie Degler. She was staring off, towards the part of the park where the commotion was. She didn't look over at Zach as he walked over. Her eyes stayed on the swirling lights. "I'm only 58." She said after a moment.

Zach nodded and didn't say anything. He stepped closer and sat down on the bench beside her. He leaned back and waited. Sometimes they just knew. Sometimes he didn't have to explain.

"I've never had any heart problems." She continued. "No one in my family… not that I can remember…" She sighed. "I eat healthy, I exercise when I can. Rexy and I walk twice a…" She stopped and looked over at the dog. "Rexy, hey girl." She called out but the dog didn't move. "Can she see me?"

Zach shook his head. "No, not really. But animals are empathetic. She can sense your presence here."

"So she knows?" She asked sadly.

Zach nodded his head.

Ellie nodded her head somberly and turned to face Zach. "You look different." She said softly. "You had blonde hair when I saw you earlier. And blue eyes, I think."

Zach nodded his head. "The living see me differently."

She tilted her head. "Why?"

"So if someone I knew before sees me, they won't recognize me." He answered.

"Before…" She repeated slowly.

"Before I died." He answered softly.

She nodded her head slowly. "So you didn't really lose your dog."

Zach smiled and shook his head. "No. It was just an excuse to find you and to remove your soul before you died. Sometimes death is painful and we try to stop you from feeling it."

"Well good." She said, nodding her head. "Because you shouldn't own a dog if you can't train it not to run away or remember to simply keep it leashed when you exit a car."

Zach smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, ma'am."

She lifted her hands and looked down at them. "So you knew?" She asked after a moment, looking back up at him.

Zach nodded. "I knew you were going to die. But it's not something I can stop." He answered. "My job is to remove your soul and take you to the next world."

She tilted her head and frowned a bit, looking sad. "Sounds like a lonely life."

Zach shrugged. "It's my job. Gotta follow the rules."

Ellie breathed out and nodded. She looked back at her dog. Rexy still hadn't moved. "What about Rexy? What's going to happen to her?"

Zach shrugged. "I don't know."

"We lived alone." Ellie explained. "Just the two of us. I raised her from a pup. She was a gift from my husband the Christmas before he died. I can't just leave her. My son lives across the country and he's allergic."

Before Zach could even answer, Gray was suddenly there, running towards them. He slid to a stop beside Rexy and bent down to grab her leash. "We'll take her with us!" He announced, smiling. "My brother will take care of her!"

Zach's head whipped around and his eyes widened. "Gray, I told you to stay in the bus!" He hissed.

Gray dropped to the ground beside Rexy and started petting her. "But she looks so sad and you didn't pet her!"

Ellie smiled and looked over at Zach. "Your

brother?"

Zach shrugged. "I don't follow

of the rules." He admitted. "What my annoying little brother means is we can find a good home for her."

"Oh come on, Zach!" Gray said as he continued petting Rexy's head. She had gotten up and started licking his face. "I'll help you take care of her!"

Ellie smiled as she stood up. "Well, Rexy is well behaved so she wouldn't be running out of your car. Or bus."

"I don't drive the bus all the time." Zach said as he stood up.

Ellie watched as Gray played with Rexy for a moment. She sighed happily and looked over at Zach. "What happens to me now?"

Zach shrugged. "I don't know."

Ellie frowned and tilted her head. "What do you mean? You don't know?"

"A door to your afterlife will appear." Zach explained. "And you'll just… go."

"A door." She repeated. "What's in the door?"

"I don't know." He answered. "I never got a door. Only you can go through yours."

She nodded slowly. "When?"

Zach shrugged again. "Sometimes it happens right after you die, sometimes it takes a few minutes. One time I was stuck for over an hour with this really annoying girl who wouldn't stop talking about how much she was going to miss shopping and the next fashion line or whatever."

Ellie smiled and looked back at Gray and Rexy. She sighed again and stepped closer. She reached out to touch the dog and her hand went right through. Rexy turned and seemed to almost look at her. She let out a whine and Ellie smiled sadly, tears in her eyes. "I'm going to miss you so much." She said softly. "You helped me so much over these last few years, girl." Rexy whined again and Ellie tilted her head. "Are you sure she can't see me?"

Zach shook his head. "Honestly, I'm not really. The manual for this job is really short."

Gray threw his arms around Rexy and hugged her tightly. "Don't worry. We'll take really good care of her, I promise."

Ellie smiled. "You better." She turned to Zach. "We don't live too far and I left the door unlocked. It's a good neighborhood. There's a blanket on the floor in the living room. It's fluffy and has goats on it. That's her blanket. And there's a toy jeep, with the wheels chewed off. That's her favorite toy. Do you have something to write with?"

Zach blinked. "Uh…"

"Tell me." Gray said as he rolled around on the grass with the dog. "I have a photographic memory."

Ellie nodded and stepped closer to him. She rattled off a list of items they would have to get from her house, as well as what brands and foods Rexy enjoyed and the fact that she was allergic to strawberries. Which was something Zach had never heard of happening to an animal before which prompted a long lecture from both Ellie and Gray about allergies in animals.

She just finished relaying her address when suddenly, there was a flash of light and a whooshing sound and a few feet away, a door appeared. It stood in the middle of the grass. Just a single door. It was painted white and a bright red and green wreath hung on the front. Ellie sucked in a breath. "That's our old house." She said softly. "We sold it when the kids moved out. It was too big for just the two of us…" She trailed off and looked over at Zach. "I guess that's my cue." She smiled. "Thank you, Mark."

"Zach." He corrected.

Ellie laughed and nodded her head. "Have to follow

of the rules." She walked towards the door. She didn't hesitate or look back as she reached for the doorknob. She opened it and a man stood on the other side. Her eyes widened. "Mark!"

"Welcome home, Ellie." The man said as he pulled her inside. The door shut and disappeared.

Zach crossed his arms and breathed in as he watched. He smiled as the door disappeared. It was nice when everything went smoothly. It was nice when they had a loved one waiting for them. He hoped it made the transition easier. But he really had no idea. He didn't have a door. He didn't have anyone waiting for him. All of his family was still alive. His brother, his parents, all his grandparents.

Gray gripped Rexy's leash tightly and tugged on it gently as he stood up. She followed him without hesitation as he walked over to join Zach. "Why do you think I can see them, too?" He asked softly, his voice barely a whisper.

Zach tilted his head as he looked down at the dog between them. Rexy had dug her nose into the side of his leg, vying for attention. Zach smiled sadly and ran his fingers over her ears. "I have no clue."

Gray looked up at him and frowned. "You still haven't asked Simon?"

Zach let his arms fall and shook his head dramatically. "No." He took a step back, still shaking his head. "No, no, no. I'm not telling him. Do you know how much trouble I could get into?"

"Do

Gray countered.

Zach paused. "No." He answered and spun around. "And I don't wanna find out." He headed towards the bus. "Come on. Gotta get ya back."

Gray ran to catch up with him and Rexy followed. "Wait, don't we need to get Rexy's stuff?"

"No." Zach said as he opened the door and climbed in. "We need to get you back to school. Just make me a list. I'll go after I ditch the bus."

"But…"

"No. How are we gonna explain if we're seen by one of the neighbors? A giant yellow school bus pulling into the driveway isn't exactly inconspicuous, Gray. Now come on." Zach snapped. Gray pouted a bit for a moment but he climbed on the bus. Rexy followed right behind him and laid on the floor between the seats. Zach closed the door and started the bus.

By the time they arrived back at the school, the first period was over and the second was starting. Gray patted the dog on the head and quickly fell in with the other students and Zach left. As he drove back to the garage, Rexy had moved to his feet. She put her nose on his leg and looked up at him with her big, warm brown eyes. Zach shook his head as he rubbed her ears.

A half hour later and he'd dropped the bus off at the garage, snuck out without being seen, and got in his old, busted jeep. Rexy lounged comfortably in the back seat. Then they were on their way to Ellie Degler's house. It was still empty. The cops weren't there yet. They might not have been able to identify Ellie's body yet. Zach opened the door and climbed out of his jeep. Then he opened the back door and grabbed Rexy's leash. He followed her up the stairs to the door, which was open just as Ellie had said.

Wandering through the dead woman's house was weird. But it wasn't the first time he'd done something similar. Sometimes the dead asked him to do favors. Retrieve hidden items, drop off or pick things up, one time a son has asked him to make his computer disappear because he didn't want his mother to find out he watched some weird porn. He quickly grabbed a few things for the dog and piled them in his old jeep. Then he was finally on his way home. Though, after checking the time, it really didn't leave him very long before he had to leave to pick up the kids and take them home. Sometimes, life… or death… really sucked.

He glanced over at Rexy, sitting comfortably in the passenger seat, as he pulled the jeep into his driveway. Zach let out a sigh as he reached over and petted her. "Come on. Let's meet my roommate." He opened the door and let her out. She followed him as he headed towards the door. He pulled out his keys and eased the door open. "Hey." He called out as he shut the door behind them.

A man sat on the couch in the living room, his eyes on the TV across the room. At the sound of the door, he turned the TV and turned around. He leaned over the edge of the couch and stared down at the dog. He furrowed his eyebrows and adjusted his glasses. "What's with the dog?"

Lowery was pretty much his only friend, if Zach would call him that. And most days, when the man wasn't annoying him, he did. Lowery was the reaper he got assigned to when he died and they'd be living together ever since. Yeah, Lowery was a friend. Family, really.

"My reap was an old woman." Zach said as he reached down to pet the dog. "She was concerned about her dog. Gray overheard and said I'd take her." He shrugged as he walked into the living room. Rexy followed him. "I'll find her a good home, Lowery."

Lowery shrugged and reached out for the dog. She walked over to him and sniffed his hand. "I always wanted a dog."

Zach let out a laugh and shook his head. "Fine. We have a dog. Her name's Rexy. She's allergic to strawberries."

Lowery tilted his head. "Seriously?"

Zach nodded his head. "Animals can have allergies just like humans."

"Huh. Weird."

Zach rolled his eyes. "Anyways, my jeep is full of her shit."

Lowery was making kissy noises and cutesy faces at the dog. He stopped and looked over at Zach. "Ransacking your reap's house." He shook his head.

Zach shrugged and dropped down on the couch beside him. "She told me to."

"And Gray?" Lowery asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're gonna get caught one day."

"You gonna tell on me?"

Lowery shook his head and went back to petting Rexy. "Nope. Just gonna pretend like I know nothing."

"Simon was the one who dropped me off here." Zach pointed out. "Like three blocks from my old house. How was I not supposed to accidentally run into him? It's not my fault he recognized me from old photos mom and dad still have around. He was a baby when I died and I was years older than the pictures."

"Yeah, it's all fucked up." Lowery let out a sigh and leaned back. "I've been trying to figure out a connection, figure out why he can see through the veil but I'm still getting nowhere. I really think you should ask Simon…"

"No, no, no!" Zach shook his head. "I tell Simon and he'll get pissed and all this will go away. He'll move me somewhere far away and then I'll have no one!" He gasped out rather dramatically.

"You don't know that." Lowery pointed out.

"Exactly!" Zach snapped. "So just drop it!"

"Fine." Lowery sighed and patted the couch between them. Rexy jumped up and curled up beside him. "Anyways… I got a message from Simon about 20 minutes ago. He said he sent out your new assignment but you haven't confirmed it yet."

Zach turned towards him, frowning. "What? Already? I literally just got done with my last reap and he has a new one for me already?"

Lowery held up his hands and tilted his head to the side. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger. Remember last month, when I got 3 on the same day."

Zach wrinkled his nose and rolled his eyes. "That was all from the same accident." He sighed as he pulled out his phone. A message was on the display.

"I silenced it earlier. Faked losing a dog at the dog park and was afraid she'd ask if I had a picture."

Lowery smiled. "Well now you have a real one to lose and take pictures of."

Zach rolled his eyes. "I think Ellie would come back to haunt me if I lost her dog." He unlocked the phone and clicked on the note. The app whooshed open and he looked at the name. Suddenly everything about him dissolved. Everything was black for a moment and then it was red.

And it was hot, bright, white. He felt like he was sweating. And he felt heavy. Then he was suddenly falling, like the floor was ripped out from under him. Then there was just pain. Zach gasped loudly as he came back to himself. He leaned back on the couch and breathed in deeply. Rexy's head was in his lap and she watched him with concern.

"What'd ya see?" Lowery asked softly.

"I think… I think a building was on fire." Zach said, threading his fingers in Rexy's fur. "They fell through the floor. I think the floor fell on them. But before they fell, they felt heavy, bulky, like they were wearing a heavy suit. I think they were a firefighter."

Lowery nodded his head. "That might make it easier to find them."

Zach nodded. "Yeah. Was pretty painful. I'm gonna need to remove their soul early."

Lowery pulled out his phone. "I'll look up the rosters of the local fire departments. What's the name?"

"O. Grady." He read the name out loud.


End file.
